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Thursday, 5 December 2013

Nelson “Madiba” Mandela, Former South African President Has Died At Age 95

By Jueseppi B.

It was something we all expected and knew it was eventually coming.
It still hurts and makes me wonder what the future holds for this
Planet. The Globe does not have many living humans who are the essence
of change and the symbol or equality. We lost one today.

Nelson Mandela has died today at the age of 95, according to South African President Jacob Zuma. His death marks the final chapter in a life that changed South Africa forever.

The former South African president had been suffering from a recurring lung infection, and the Daily Telegraph reports that his friends and family had gathered at his bed today. Zuma announced his death in a televised address to the nation.

“Our nation has lost its greatest son, yet what made Nelson Mandela
great was precisely what made him human,” Zuma said. “We saw in him what
we seek in ourselves, and in him we saw so much of ourselves.”

Mandela’s struggle was one of the defining stories of the 20th
century. Trained as a lawyer, he became involved in politics after 1948
as South Africa moved into a system of racial apartheid. While initially
espousing non-violent protests with the African National Congress (ANC),
he eventually founded a militant organization and was behind a bombing
campaign in the early 1960s. He was arrested and sentenced to life in
prison in 1962.

Mandela became president of the ANC in 1991, and was
elected president of South Africa in May 1994, a position in which he
remained until 1999. During his time in office he led the dismantling of
the apartheid system, for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Mandela is survived by his wife, Graça Machel, six children, and 17 grandchildren.

Mandela had been sick for a long time. Earlier this
year, South Africa’s Sunday Times ran a story on Mandela’s illness under
the headline “It’s time to let him go.”

Mandela has been a controversial figure for much of his life.
Right-wing critics denounced him as a terrorist and communist
sympathizer. He nevertheless gained international acclaim for his
anti-colonial and anti-apartheid stance, having received more than 250 honors, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Soviet Order of Lenin. He is held in deep respect within South Africa, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, or as Tata (“Father”); he is often described as “the father of the nation”. He died on December 5th, 2013.

Nelson Mandela’s family and friends were gathering at his house last
night, just days after his eldest daughter said the revered former South
African statesman was “on his deathbed”.

Two of Mr Mandela’s granddaughters and Bantu Holomisa, a close family
friend, were among those seen entering the house in the Johannesburg
suburb of Houghton, along with military personnel responsible for the
former president’s health.

With little explanation for the large contingent, there were rumours
that the 95-year-old’s ailing health had once again taken a turn for the
worse.

One family friend said he had been told Mr Mandela’s condition had
“deteriorated quite a bit”, but could not give further details. “Things
are quite gloomy,” he added.

Mac Maharaj, President Jacob Zuma’s spokesman, said he was seeking an
update from Mr Mandela’s doctors “because of the rumours journalists
are coming up with”.

The development came as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended
the London premiere of the Mandela biopic Long Walk to Freedom, in which
South Africa’s first black, democratic president is played by British
actor Idris Elba.

Mr Mandela’s daughter Zindzi, who also attended the screening at the
Odeon in Leicester Square, told journalists her father was “fine” but
“frail”.

“My father is fine. He’s 95 years old and he is pretty frail. We are hoping to see more of him,” she said.

She revealed that Mr Mandela has seen some clips of the film, which
is adapted from his autobiography of the same name and stars Elba as the
former South African president.

Earlier this week, Mr Mandela’s eldest daughter Makaziwe described
him as fighting from his “deathbed,” but still being “very strong” and
“very courageous”.

“Even when there are moments when you can see he’s struggling, but
the fighting spirit is still there with him,” she told the South African
Broadcasting Corporation.

Mr Mandela has been receiving round-the-clock intensive care from 22
military and other doctors since September, when he was discharged from a
three-month hospital stay for a lung infection.

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DARCY D= YOU MUST BELIEVE.STANDING UP FOR THE INNOCENT C.E.O
The United Kingdom resident champions causes of the voiceless, the powerless and the weak, particularly in North America. She campaigns for petitions on behalf of incarcerated human trafficking.